Volume 7, Issue 14 by The Bottom Line (UCSB)

TBL

THE

Associated Students, UC Santa Barbara Volume 7, Issue 14 | Feb. 13 - Feb. 19, 2013

BOTTOM LINE LEFT: Protesters Speak Out Against the End of 6-Month Grace Periods for Subsidized Student Loans in The Arbor on February 12

Photo by john Clow | The Bottom Line

See our website, https://thebottomline.as.ucsb.edu, and page 2 for more

White House Discusses Legal Bill to Restructure Elections Grounds For Foreign Drone Strikes Code Vetoed by Associated Students President by juLIAn Moore National Beat Reporter

by LILY CAIn or even none at all.” Associated Students Beat Reporter however, due to confusion at the Senate Associated Students President Sophia meeting which did not officially end due to a Armen vetoed a bill to restructure the elec- break in quorum, as of press time there is contions code early tuesday morning that Senate troversy over whether the veto stands or not. had passed during their meeting on Wednes“Due to a very convoluted ending of day, Feb. 6. the last meeting and a procedural vote which The bill, which was created by the AS failed to adequately enable the correct process elections Committee, would create a three- I am in limbo right now as to if the veto will week recruitment period in Winter Quarter still stand and have to wait on direction from and create regu l a t i o n s the Internal Vice Presion who is aldent [Mayra lowed to run. S e g o v i a ] ,” In her said Armen. “Essential to this veto is veto state“For accuthe reality this bill creates ment, Armen racy the Senstates that her ate will have obstacles for emerging main reason to answer to and differing voices” for the veto is these unorthat she does dinary series - AS President Sophia Armen not agree with of events the content and will be clarified of the bill, nor with ultimately there.” the process by which In addition, if the veto stands, Armen it was enacted, as people directly involved in believes the Senate will likely overturn it. elections wrote it. “I am exercising my right to veto because “Such content creates unfair advantages there is an inherent conflict of interest by the for incumbent elected officials, and the un- members who worked actively to create the fiorthodox process by which elected officials nal version of the code, of which the elections who seek to gain from this code speaks highly Committee itself has shared sentiments of of the current problematic atmosphere of the being disempowered by the process of draftAssociated Student elected representatives, of ing of legislation, and the ‘weakest’ voice in which I am not afraid to shed light on, despite its inception, a huge indicator that even our pressure to remain censored,” said Armen in most objective and central committee to the the statement. process has felt left out of the conversation,” In addition, she questions the ability of Armen states. the bill to allow for a break in the two-party Whether the bill and the veto still stand system our elections generally consist of. was decided in a meeting with the AS execu“essential to this veto is the reality this tive officers on tuesday night. bill creates obstacles for emerging and differ“I have full confidence in the power and ing voices,” Armen states. “It disenfranchises agency of the student body, and it is such will independent candidates, newly emerging that I will serve, not the political lobbying or parties, and entrenches a bi-party system, al- maneuvering of those implicated in the electhough other campuses have multiple parties tions process,” Armen states.

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Last week, President obama authorized his CIA director appointee john Brennan to show Congress what legal grounds the White house is using to justify its drone strike campaign abroad. In countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Yemen, Libya and Somalia the united States has used unmanned drones that can fly at high altitudes to kill targeted enemy combatants from the safety of the skies. The government has promoted targeted drone strikes attacks as a way to leave a “light footprint,” allowing the President to withdraw troops from Afghanistan and Iraq while maintaining a steady military presence. The policy behind allowing strikes, which reportedly began under President Bush in 2002 with the killing of a terror suspect in Yemen, has been shrouded in obscurity by both the Bush and obama Administrations. While President Bush initiated drone strikes on targeted individuals connected to terror organizations, the program has flourished under President obama. In the first six seven years of Bush’s presidency, the united States conducted a total of 11 drone strikes in Pakistan, kicking up to 35 in 2008. In his first two years as President, obama shattered that record with 170 strikes by the end of 2010. But a growing chorus of critics both inside and outside of Washington has long since questioned the unclear legal status of these operations. Policy analysts, civil liberties groups and Congressmen and women from both sides of the aisle have expressed discomfort with how the scope of drone attacks has broadened. For every military victory scored by the use of drone strikes, it seems another legal (or at least moral) problem is born. At the heart of the debate are a number of questions: can the president order strikes in countries with which united States is not engaged in any type of war, such as Yemen and Somalia? If so, whom can he or she target, and who else decides who is on that list? When in September 2011 the YemeniAmerican imam Anwar al-Awlaki was killed by u.S. drone strikes, another, more grave question

Kiss-In at State Street Chick-Fil-A Protests Anti-Gay Stance by CheYenne johnSon Staff Writer university of California, Santa Barbara students and other members of the community demonstrated outside of the new Chick-Fil-A in Santa Barbara to protest the company’s stance on the LGBtQ community and its use of company profits to fund anti-gay groups. The protest, titled A Queer Kiss-In at ChickFil-A, planned to have gay and lesbian couples kiss outside the restaurant to protest the company’s policies. Zach King, a sociology graduate student at uCSB, said the policies of Chick-Fil-A’s Ceo, Dan Cathy, did not coincide with LGBtQ values. “Chick-Fil-A’s a pretty messed up organization when you look at what the Ceo has said and where they put their money,” said King. “The Ceo has said they will fire anyone who does not conform to the Bible’s moral code so that means that they would fire any gay or gender non-conforming employee which is a violation of human rights. They also donate money to conservative groups and think tanks including groups that are working in parts of Africa on campaigns that actually encourage the execution of people for being gay.” Community members besides uCSB students were present at the protest including SB high School and SB Community College students. SBhS student olivia ranson said she chose to join the protest because it is not an issue only related to university students. “I came here because I’m queer and we just wanted to show that we don’t support Chick-Fil-A being anti-LGBt and just to make a statement and raise awareness about Chick-Fil-A’s antigay donations,” said ranson. Carol ruiz, owner of the Chick-Fil-A Santa Barbara branch, said she supports the protesters’ right to protest, but said they needed to do so off of the Chick-Fil-A premises. “I think anyone is allowed to protest on private property,” said ruiz. “But when they bring it into the restaurant like this

CALPIRG Blends Solar Smoothies see page 2

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it’s not...We welcome everyone here and so to make it look like we don’t welcome anyone to come to our restaurant. everyone should be able to enjoy their meal. I think they should protest on the sidewalk, not in a public dining area with children and people trying to enjoy their meal.” ophelia, a SBCC Cultural Anthropology major who did not wish to state her last name, said by donating to anti-gay groups, Chick-Fil-A is setting a dangerous precedent. “If every company did that,” said ophelia, “eventually know one is going to have rights and nobody’s going to be able to do anything so it’s important even if you don’t support gay rights or equal rights to understand that this is a human issue not just a gay rights, queer rights issue.” ruiz said she doesn’t understand the protests in light of the new information released by Chick-Fil-A’s Ceo Dan Cathy. “We had the leader,” said ruiz, “of the Campus Pride gay group reach out to Dan Cathy last month and he turned over the company’s tax returns and said that no money went to hate groups. So the continuing target of Chick-Fil-A, we just don’t quite understand it, to be honest with you. It’s right there on our website.” Campus Pride, the LGtBQ support organization that focuses on university and college students which originally started the campaign against Chick-Fil-A last summer, recently released a statement calling off the campaign against the company. This past week,” said Shan L Windmeyer, executive director of Campus Pride, “Chick-fil-A shared with me the 2011 IrS Form 990, filed in november for the WinShape Foundation, along with 2012 financials...The nearly $6 million in outside grant funding focuses on youth, education, marriage enrichment, and local communities. The funding reflects Chick-fil-A’s promised commitment not to engage in ‘political or social debates,’ and the most divisive, anti-LGBt groups are no longer listed.” other members of the protest had no comment on the statement.

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came to light: may the President assassinate u.S. citizens abroad without any sort of trial? Anwar al-Awlaki was born in new Mexico in 1978 before moving to Yemen, and received an undergraduate degree from Colorado State university, where he was a member of the Muslim Student Association. After visiting a war-ravaged Afghanistan in 1993, Al-Awlaki began seeking justice for Muslims under attack around the world, but maintained an image as a moderate after the attacks on 9/11. After bouncing between the united States and Yemen for years, Al-Awlaki finally settled in Yemen and began a series of web videos appealing to young Muslim men to fight against global oppressors of Islam in their home countries, including the united States. After the 2009 “Christmas underwear bomber” omar Faruk Abdulmutallab was linked to Al-Awlaki, the latter became a target of the u.S. government and was put under surveillance for months. Finally, in the fall of 2011, he was killed by a uS-operated aerial missile in Yemen. After his death, Senators such as Chuck Grassley questioned the wisdom of drone strikes over nations which are, according to the government, allies in the war on terror. Another question central to the drone debate is merely their effectiveness. A multiplicity of studies and reports have cast varying figures on how many people the u.S. unmanned aircraft strikes have killed, including how many civilians have died. Casualty estimates in countries like Pakistan alone range from 1,956 to 3,284 since 2004. Likewise, a study conducted by researchers at Stanford claimed for every terrorist killed by u.S. drones, an astronomical 49 civilians are killed while the government has put the civilian death rate near 40 percent. Those who feared a draconian rationale were not assuaged when news broke in late 2012 that Awlaki’s 16-year-old son had also been killed in a separate drone attack. When asked how the White house justified killing the child of a terrorist, former obama Press Secretary robert Gibbs told ABC’s “This Week,” “I would suggest that you should have a far more responsible father if they are truly concerned about the well being of their children.”

the HISTORY

vs. January 2011: News broke that Chick-Fil-A was co-sponsoring a marriage conference with the Pennsylvania Family Institute, a known supporter of California’s Proposition 8. June 2012: Chick-Fil-A President and COO Dan Cathy makes controversial statements against same-sex marriage on a radio talk show. June 2012: Boston Mayor Thomas Menino declares he will not allow the Chick-Fil-A franchise to do business in Boston unless they change their position. Chicago and San Francisco Mayors make similar statements. August 2012: Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee initiates Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day which takes place the ﬁrst of the month. The chain sees a spike in customers despite nationwide boycotts.

at other UNIVERSITIES Northeastern University cancelled plans to open a

Chick-Fil-A on campus.

oﬃcials at Liberty University (Virginia) came out in support of Chick-Fil-A, stating they share the same values.

In 2011, New York University retained its ChickFil-A location after a student senate vote showed 19 in favor of keeping it and only 4 opposing. Later, student protests aimed to push the franchise out.

Davidson College (north Carolina) ceased serving

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5 Qs with Storke Tower TuTu Creator

“I Blew a Year’s Tuition in Two Days”

see page 3

see page 4

Chick-Fil-A meals at their After Midnight events.

The Power of Journalism see page 5

UCSB Ranked 16 in Peace Corps Participation see page 8

The Bottom Line | Feb. 13 - Feb. 19

page 2 | News

CALPIRG Blends Solar Smoothies For Solar Panel Petitions

Photos by john Clow | The Bottom Line

CALPIRG members handed out solar smoothies to students to raise awareness of state legislature. by KYLe SKInner Staff Writer The university of California, Santa Barbara chapter of the California Public Interest research Group, better known as CALPIrG, was out in the Arbor handing out smoothies last tuesday and Wednesday, Feb. 6 and 7. But these smoothies were special. They were made by the sun. CALPIrG, student-directed non-profit that works to fight for the public interest on issues that affect everyone, was able to set up a solar panel system that provided power from the sun to run a blender that produced smoothies for students passing by. This innovative rig was all in an effort to get students to sign a petition that would be sent to the state legislature. This petition would urge the state government to improve the Million Solar roof Initiative to three million. In 2006, CALPIrG was able to get the initiative passed that would ensure that one million roofs in the state of California would be solar by 2016, and now they want to increase it to three million by 2020.

CALPIrG organizer Kat Lockwood said that this statewide effort to get legislature to hop on board with the initiative. “Since we are the uCSB chapter, we are working to target our local elected oﬃcials as our chunk of the broader effort,” said Lockwood. “here at uCSB we have about 5,000 student members who pledge and become CALPIrG members.” California leads the nation in solar and clean energy producing 20 percent of its overall energy from alternative clean energy sources. however, CALPIrG would like to raise that statistic. This smoothie handout is only one of a couple ways in which they will try to get uCSB students to join the fight, another being a solar powered concert that is being scheduled to take place later this quarter. First-year undeclared student Sebastian Irani, who signed the petition, believes that the passing of the new initiative could greatly benefit California as well as uCSB. “I think that uCSB could use this to install solar panels around campus, which may be expensive at first, but is sure to

TBL 2012-2013 Staff

Cheyenne johnson, julian Moore, Lily Cain, Kyle Skinner, Giuseppe ricapito, Vijay Modi, Courtney hampton, Deanna Kim, Matt Mersel, Ayeyi Aboagye, joanne howard, Yuen Sin, Anjali Shastry, Ben Fan, Marissa Perez, jordan Wolff, Ashley Golden, Vijay Modi, Thomas Alexander

Photographers: this issue

john Clow, Silvia Quach, napat Pumhiran, Deanna Kim, Yuen Sin, Abel Fernandez The Bottom Line is sponsored by the Associated Students of the University of California, Santa Barbara. All opinions expressed in TBL do not necessarily represent those of the staff, of A.S. or of UCSB. Published with support from Campus Progress/Center for American Progress (CampusProgress.org). All submissions, questions or comments may be directed to bottomlineucsb@gmail.com.

The Bottom Line is an alternative voice on campus.... We provide a printed and online space for student investigative journalism, culturally and socially aware commentary and engaging reporting that addresses the diverse concerns of our readership and community. This is your community to build, share ideas and publicize your issues and publicize events. We welcome your questions, comments or concerns at bottomlineucsb@gmail.com or call our oﬃce phone at 805-893-2440.

pay for itself over the course of time as well as cause the school to start to go even greener,” said Irani. In november of 2012, Californians passed Proposition 39 that would collect millions of dollars to fund energy related products, and CALPIrG hopes to get a cut of that fund to make solar power cheaper. All they need to do is get state legislature to see that the citizens want it. “In total we have 1204 petitions so far that we just delivered Thursday morning to hannah Beth jackson’s (State Senator) deputy district director,” Lockwood said. Third-year sociology major Megan Foronda agrees with Sebastian and thinks that the panel plan would be fantastic for uCSB. “uCSB has always been advocates for environmentalism,” said Foronda. “The modern environmental movement began at uCSB. Such historical advocacy is a point of pride for uCSB, so I think the installation of solar panel roofs would only continue the legacy uCSB has with this step toward a more sustainable, environmentally conscientious future.”

Student Loan Six Month Grace Period Removed by CheYenne johnSon Staff Writer Student loans have lost their six month grace period in an effort to keep the student loan rate at 3.4 percent. Grace periods give college and university students a finite amount of time, generally six months, after graduation before they must begin repaying their student loans. The decision came in the summer of 2012 while students petitioned the state to maintain current student loan rates. Though the rate was secured at 3.4 percent for the year, a tax on transportation as well as the removal of the grace period was used to guarantee enough support for the proposal. Associated Students Student Lobby is now running a campaign to bring attention to this change. Student Lobby is planning events to convince Congress to reinstate the grace period when student loan rate discussions begin again this summer. Maria Flores, third-year global studies major and Student Lobby issues coordinator, said the decision to end the grace period was not justified as it did not permanently secure the 3.4 percent rate. “That only extended it for a year,” said Flores, “so after that expires, we’re gonna have to start fighting again to keep it from doubling and we won’t have that grace period. They just got rid of it. It was a loophole they found to just get rid of it. It was during the summer, july 1, so no one knew about it because everyone was off of school.” The Democrats and republicans in Congress agreed to remove the grace period and enforce a tax on the transportation Funding Act to fund the low loan rate. Lupe Zelada, third-year global studies major and Student Lobby member, said that despite the national scale of this decision, most students are unaware of the changes, which affect all loans taken out after july 2012. “We were shocked. We were like, ‘I can’t believe this actually happened. I can’t believe Congress passed this,’” said Zelada. “We got so many shocked faces.. People just

weren’t aware.” According to Flores, grad students have lost the ability to take out subsidized loans, and where students were once able to defer payment while they attended grad school, this is no longer the case. “You’re going to have to be paying your undergrad loans while you’re paying your grad student loans too,” said Flores. external Vice President of Statewide Affairs nadim houssain said that the removal of the grace period makes access to higher education even harder to achieve. “The average student today already graduates with $20,000 in debt,” said houssain, “which is a shockingly high number. Without a grace period, students will be expected to begin paying off these loans before they even have a chance to find a job after graduation. It may also discourage students from pursuing further education such as a masters degree for fear of seeing their loans grow in interest immediately upon graduating.” houssain said students should not be content with the loss. “I think it is time for students to begin questioning this idea that we always have to sacrifice something valuable, such as a grace period, when dealing with student loans,” said houssain. “The issue at hand is not a shortfall of revenue for the federal government to draw from to cover these costs, but rather a failure to prioritize the accessibility to higher education for students. The government should begin to identify other sources of revenue from which to subsidize a longer grace period.” houssain insists that demanding these changes is not enough and students need to organize on the grassroots level. houssain said they intend to make student loans a priority while lobbying during the Student Lobby Conference in Sacramento and the national Legislative Conference in Washington DC. Flores said Student Lobby will pursue this as far as necessary.

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The Bottom Line | Feb. 13 - Feb. 19

page 3 | Features

Stuck in the Middle With You:

Photo Courtesy of | Brent Banks

Settling the Nor Cal v. So Cal Debate by GIuSePPe rICAPIto Staff Writer

The university of California, Santa Barbara is a melting pot of California, state and national identities, but whether or not we draw differences between others and ourselves related to the geographic specificities of our upbringing is an arbitrary question. Speaking of California exclusively, there is a much more diverse and complex regional amalgamation occurring at the university than a simple north/ South disparity. Though we all may be familiar with the friendly competition between nor Cal and So Cal, there are more recursive locations designating the personal character and familiarity of university students. Pockets of mass population—think Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area—usually override the conversation by the force of their overarching significance for significant statewide institutions that are more part of national dialogue than a local one. The formation of regional identity is reliant on an inhabitant’s ability to relate to their physical environment and the figurative spaces that institutions encompass; for all those from Fresno, San Diego, Yosemite, Bakersfield, and Arcata (to name a small few), these wide designations do not

Bursting the uCSB ‘Bubble’ by VIjAY MoDI Staff Writer

Illustration by Silvia Quach | The Bottom Line The tower bells ring as another day begins in a beautiful beach town. College students make their way to class on their cruiser bikes as the typical warm weather greets everyone with a good dose of sunlight. This is not just any place—this campus is considered the envy of many. The university of Calfornia, Santa Barbara campus and its surrounding are considered to be one of the most gorgeous university settings in the united States for a good reason. Most of us students are getting a lifetime’s worth of education at a prestigious university, while having the time of our lives partying, but also maturing and learning the rules of adulthood in a place that seems quite different from others. Personally, I have heard this discussion around campus a number of times, while one central question always takes a central role—is there a uCSB bubble? There are many factors that could lead one to think that there is a disconnect between the life of uCSB students and reality’s somber side. The campus’ location right on the beautiful coastal line looks like it has been taken out of movie. “Sometimes, when you happen to go back home, you realize that other places are not like Isla Vista, where everyone’s young and fit, and you’re right next to the beach,” said Sivan ron, a third-year communication major. our university is also quite notorious for having a very vibrant social scene, and generations of alumni are ready to attest to that. With or without a “bubble,” many students throughout the years have had the time of their lives here and it is natural that they remember the experience in brighter hues. unfortunately, there is not a way to measure such a thing as a “bubble.” talking to students around campus, their response to that question would probably depend on the outcomes of their latest tests or weekend adventures. one aspect of the life in Isla Vista that definitely drives away the feeling of a rosy reality here in IV is the fact that the crime rate has been notoriously high in past years. According to national rankings of college campus crime rates, uCSB is safely distanced away from the top half of the table. The Clery Act, which bounds public universities to collect data of on-campus crime rates, is the main source of information that goes into the university’s crime rate calculation. This creates a problem, since crimes that happen outside of the campus’ boundaries are not calculated into the measurement—a loophole that leaves most crimes in Isla Vista out of the equation. Those of us who receive alerts from the local authorities know that incidents are common enough without having to look at the dry statistics. According to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff ’s Department, close to 20 percent of major crimes in the county, such as theft and burglary and property crimes, take place here in Isla Vista. Looking at these statistics, despite the beautiful scenery and vibrant social life that surrounds this community, it is diﬃcult to say that uCSB students are sheltered from the misfortunes of reality.

provide an accurate portrayal of their hometown environments. The primary dichotomy between northern and Southern California are the mass followings that specific cities generate through institutional organizations such as sports teams. While on campus one can identify jerseys and paraphernalia from teams up and down the coast—Los Angeles boasts the Lakers, Clippers, Dodgers, and Galaxy, while the Bay Area has the San Francisco 49ers, San Francisco Giants, oakland raiders, and Golden State Warriors. The intermediary teams not localized to these population hubs encompass broad spectrums as well—the San Diego Chargers boast wide California support and the Anaheim Ducks have become a national institution beyond their cities more local importance. These sports teams are representative of city pride—for a fan, they represent a defining aspect of local culture and serve to cement their identification with that location. According to uCSB’s Admissions website, 31 percent of undergraduate admissions come from northern California, while Southern California—excluding Santa Barbara Ventura, San Luis obispo, and Kern counties (which total 12 percent)—takes the majority at 51 percent. Surprisingly, only 6 percent of enrolled undergraduates come from either out of state or 76 international countries. Students from europe, Asia, Africa, and South America bring a unique outside perspective formed by global settings, but their regional identity is a fact that demonstrates their character rather than defines it. The linguistics and local slang of a region is one of the first perceivable attributes that can denote an individual’s relationship to their particular home environment. Living in Isla Vista, many of us are familiar with commonly northern qualifiers such as “hella” or So Cal terminologies like “rad” or “sick.” Though these words are ungainly to someone unfamiliar with them—the conditioning and familiarity of hearing and using them over time functions in the same way for someone who has used them their whole lives. We are all expressive to the same contexts and exclamations (linguistic differences merely provide a background to an individual’s social conditioning)—and once misunderstanding has been surmounted, dialogue gains the added dimension of unique cultural perspectives. Pockets of cultural development

intrinsic to certain city environments are often a driving force of regional identification and function to solidify an often-stereotypical viewpoint of the people that attest to it. Cities and regions are often defined by stereotypical concepts to simplify the complex interactions unknown to a person who’s never actually been there. It’s common media fodder to define Los Angeles under the guise of hollywood—extravagant, liberal, and a hub of celebrity intrigue—but in all truth this glosses over a hugely diverse ethnic population as well as various cultural movements growing out of local communities. When considering regional identity as a litmus test for character, one runs into a common fallacy—though an environment imparts internalized viewpoints on an individual, it is crucial to disavow vast generalizations that are the product of a social conditioning for simplicity. Though regional identity portrays a fragment of an individual’s character, it sup-

Questions with

poses a locational loyalty rather than the mechanizing the specifics of personal distinction. Though it’s easy to call every San Franciscan a hippie, or every person from orange County a beach bum, these labels provide a framework that are usually transgressed rather than completely realized. Gauchos come from all corners of the state, the nation and the world—by enforcing regional identity as tantamount to character, we lose the community dimension that all students can relate to. Photo Courtesy of | rob Vucic

by CourtneY hAMPton Staff Writer

the CREATOR of the Storke Tower TUTU

Tessa Tapscott fourth-year Art major

Q: How did you manage to put the tutu on Storke Tower? A: The tutu is made out of tulle, which is what normal tutus are made of. It was surprisingly cheap. Legally, students aren’t allowed to use ladders, so we I had two guys use a genie lift, which is an accordion-shaped lift that can go up about 20 feet, and then I had two guys on the ground and me directing on the ground. I had my mom help sew the tutu because I learned how to sew for this project, but she’s a better seamstress than I am. I went home over winter break and we worked on it together. It was a nice bonding time. I have been working on this project with the tutus around campus since last quarter. each tutu took four to six hours of my time, and the big one took at least 18 hours to construct and three hours to put up.

Photos by napat Pumhiran | The Bottom Line

Q: How did you come up with the idea to put a tutu on Storke Tower? What motivated you? A: I’m into fashion and last year I made a dress for myself made out of sheet metal. I don’t know how to sew, but I do know how to weld and deal with metal, so I made a dress for myself out of unconventional material. Then I wanted to switch that idea back on itself and make dresses out of relatively conventional material for non-human objects. I started small with the trees and trashcans around campus, anything that you can wrap a tutu around. Then I really wanted to do a building because I was really inspired by the artists jeanne-Claude and Christo. They have done some really big projects on buildings and on land, so I was inspired by them. I looked for a building that was not super wide so I could fit a tutu around it. Storke tower is already 120 feet around, so it was pretty big in itself. It is centrally placed and somewhere where people would see it. I thought about the history of Storke tower and the plaza, which is an area that the school created in the 70s and 80s for the students to riot in a contained area where the police could watch over. Storke tower is a masculine and phallic tower, so I wanted to feminize it a bit and poke fun at it for being a giant, phallic object in the middle of our school, but not in a derogatory way. I wanted to make people aware of it.

Q: What can we expect next? A: The tutu will be taken down soon because it’s starting to get destroyed. I’d like to do more work with the tutus in my future, but that could be years from now. I would like to get funding, and if I do, I’d like to do really big things. I’d like to get a huge and fluff y tutu. This is just the beginning of what I could afford. I’d like to go bigger and do different kind[s] of garments on buildings or objects, like the trees. trees are funny, person-like things. Also, as an honors student, I’m preparing for my honor thesis show. It will take place in building 479, also known as the red Barn, during the first two or three weeks of next quarter. I’m hoping to invert the tutu on the inside of the building for that show. Q: What reaction were you hoping or expecting from the student body? A: When I started setting up the small ones around campus, I wasn’t really sure, but I remember somebody sent me a link to the uCSB Memes page on Facebook and there was a meme about it, so I was really amazed. It’s a well-traveled page around the school, so I felt a little bit famous and I had no idea it would reach that many people, that it would go viral. So, I was really interested to see what people would think of the big one. There were a lot of Facebook posts and Instagrams about it, which were interesting. People have funny ideas about what it was, but I was happy that a lot of people seemed to get it: that it was a tutu on a giant, phallic building. I haven’t really done much public work before, so it was interesting. It gets art out of the gallery space and into space where non-high-brow art people can see it. There has been a lot of positive feedback, which is nice. Q: Why is it important to have art on campus? A: As an artist, I obviously think it’s really important. People like to see art, but they don’t seem to know about it. I’m in a world of art and every quarter ends with gallery shows, but everyone else’s quarter ends with a final. So, my art environment is really different than most people experience on campus. But I think people want to see art, but they don’t always know where to go or have the time to, so I think getting it out on the campus lets people enjoy it.

The Bottom Line | Feb. 13 - Feb. 19

page 4 | Opinions

Can We Escape a Corporate World? by GIuSePPe rICAPIto Staff Writer

I woke up from the American Dream damp and heaving, attempting to cleave that nightmarish vision from my mind. Still feeling the walls closing in, I dropped from my bed, stood to fight the invisible forces that were preparing me for a bloody demise in the iron jaw of life’s garbage compactor. After cracking a beer and lighting a cigarette, that momentarily unhinged neurosis cooled itself and I sat in the dark attempting to rationalize my division from a system that was rapidly bearing down on all of us. There is no longer a simple category to designate the economic complexion of nations—modern capitalism has become the euphemism for exploitative corporatism on the degree of George orwell’s “Animal Farm”—in a money driven economy, the acquisition of property, assets and capital makes some more equal than others. The American consumer is subservient to the beneficiary system of the market economy because he inhabits an insignificant portion of its ultimate sum—though laissez-faire suggests freedom and equality for all, the invisible hand becomes more transparent when it holds a wad of cash. The unholy irony to the capitalist system is that you are just another commodity to be bought and sold on the open market. If you can pull your head out of reality for a moment and consider your life on a metaphorical assembly line. Your labor value, whether physical

or cerebral, is molded by a methodical, chronological participation in schools, colleges, and low-wage jobs until you enter the echelons as an independent working adult, plugging away in your rank little corner as you serve the function you have been taught to rely on. no better than the products we buy, we stand in storeshop windows looking attractive for employers who can no sooner throw us in the gutter once our usefulness has proven outdated. on basic terms, an excess of money allows you the commercial freedom to pursue the purchase of products and activities that fit the scope of your personal desires. The cruel paradox is that you usually spend the majority of your time earning this money—you relinquish opportunities in order to preserve your social right to act on them occasionally. There is a cyclical futility in the dynamic of the modern wage earner—you spend the vast majority of your life earning money you will undoubtedly spend, and repeat for decades as you fade into oblivion. If corporations were actually people they might be held accountable—either by law or conscience—for the vast influence they’ve been allowed over our lives. The united States Supreme Court’s Citizen’s united ruling allowed an unlimited amount of corporate expenditure into the American election system; the sway of big business in the modern day is all around us because it comes down from above. our representatives are in the pocket of lobbyists and market protectorates that demand

legislative action for the government they virtually finance. The troubling implications of this oligarchic neo-fascist model could very well lead to an even wider wealth gap between the very rich and the working classes. on the lighter side, there is little doubt that that the capitalist system allows a certain measure of innovation (there are always new ideas bound to capture the attention of society’s proverbial wallet)—where else would you get the capital incentive to plumb new markets dedicated to the Segway, fleshlights, or the Snuggie? The effort to impart entertainment value on an item by the power of the dollar has scammed many into believing that their time and labor is worth the arbitrary product that comes at its conclusion. The constant bombardment of advertising stimuli and the social precognition to conformity has indoctrinated the American public to the goal of constant asset acquisition—the massive spectrum of products that we call necessary are, to the majority of the international population, first world extravagances. here in the united States, the general population has been convinced that freedom of choice means freedom absolutely. The philosophical notion of liberty has been bound and gagged by its subhuman equivalent: market freedom. You have the certain right to do as you wish, but money functions as the catalyst to gratification—either you buy whatever it is that fits your unique perception, or you are constrained by a lack of finances to meet an

The Valentine’s Day Massacre: How the Holiday Has Gone Wrong by MAtt MerSeL Staff Writer Single people of the world, prepare to get bitter; it’s time for Valentine’s Day. oh yes, that magical time of year in the middle of winter when lovers get to show their affection for one another and singles like me get to pretend we don’t give a shit. Because even if not being in a relationship doesn’t bother someone during the year, it sure is hard to ignore Valentine’s Day. It’s a holiday with a lot of fanfare, and eventually the saccharine stuff starts to wear on the nerves for the people who don’t get to join in on the festivities. I know that so far, I’m coming off as a total sourpuss who’s just hating on the holiday because he can’t get a date himself. however, I actually like the spirit of the celebration. I think it’s a very nice gesture for two people to have a day to reaffirm their feelings for one another. My beef with the holiday doesn’t stem from its essence, but from what it has become. Valentine’s Day has slowly transformed from a day honoring the love between two people into a mandatory ringer that is just another obligation. Much like Christmas has been for a long time now, it’s not about the meaning of the holiday. It’s just about going through the motions to prove to your significant other that you still care enough about them and prove to the world that you’re not lonely and pathetic. The best way to explain this phenomenon is to look at some

statistics. on Feb. 4, 2013, Statistic Brain, an online research provider to media outlets such as Forbes, Cnn, and Business Insider, released a new set of numbers relating to Valentine’s Day. A few in particular stand out, beginning with the statistic that 53 percent of surveyed women said that they would end their relationship if they didn’t receive something for Valentine’s Day. Immediately, this should be a red flag. on a day that should be concerned only with showing your significant other how much you love them, the most important thing for more than half of the American female consumer base (assuming a representative sample, of course) is whether or not they receive a gift. That doesn’t appear to be a very off-putting number, but when combined with the figure that the average Valentine’s Day purchase is $116.21, it becomes clear that there may be a bit too much focus on expensive gifts in mid-February. In fact, this V-Day purchasing boom fuels entire industries; florists and chocolatiers alone employ almost 200,000 individuals, and, assuming that almost two-thirds of the consumer base celebrates Valentine’s Day as the survey reports, that $116.21 per person adds up to a lot of revenue for these businesses. This preoccupation with the perfect romantic gift has become so ingrained that companies are being built around it. As a result of Valentine’s Day becoming such a high-profile consumerist ordeal, many singles are now forced to try and prove to the

world—and themselves—that they aren’t sad in their loneliness. That may sound like a mean-spirited blanket statement, however Statistic Brain reports that 14 percent of women send themselves flowers on Valentine’s Day. now that is sad. What has a holiday come to when not being able to celebrate it becomes so mortifying that sending a gift to yourself is the only way to mitigate the embarrassment? I’m jewish, but I’m not so ashamed of not celebrating Christmas that I stuff my own stockings. I just eat Chinese food and watch movies like all of my other tribe members. This statistic also supports the consumerist undertones of the celebration, as apparently receiving a gift is what proves to everyone else that someone out there cares for you. not a card or a romantic note. just flowers. As I mentioned earlier, I really do appreciate the spirit of Valentine’s Day. A holiday that celebrates love is a very positive influence on society. however, the festivities have evolved from simple gestures of love and appreciation to a stressful mess in which relationships are made or broken over how much was spent on what gift. And people who haven’t found that special someone yet are made to feel ashamed for not being able to participate. In this cynical day and age, it seems like everyone complains about the holidays. however, I do believe that this is one that really needs an overhaul. February 14 is a great day, and it shouldn’t be about materialism or reputations.

arbitrary goal. Freedom has been doted on its pedestal for so long that people have forgotten the universal ideal it encompasses. The freedom to spend does nothing more than make you a slave to a monopoly board lifestyle— while continually looping around you pass in and out of jail, find free parking once in a while and pass railroads where disconsolate wanderers fester away in the public’s eye. Though you are at liberty to believe any economic, political, or social organization is premier above others, the only channels to motivate this change are convoluted by an unwavering precedent to the American system and a misinterpretation of historical legacy. In essence, the quasi-culture of the united States is dedicated to the option of change, but never committed to its fulfillment. This comfortable assimilation into a predesigned system is enough for most to placidly agree to the indoctrination of socially accepted values. It might be stating the obvious to suggest that an overt and intentional rejection of capitalism is just tough shit—an individual may feel more communist than Marx himself, but he still heads to the market when he’s hungry. In this way, any economic criticism of the established order is nebulous and conditional unless it functions for revolutionary change. even if this cannot come to fruition, it contributes to the stewing social miasma of young reformist thinkers and sidelined wageworkers intent on subverting a system that has pitilessly disinherited them.

I Know What You Did Last Summer ... Facebook Told Me by DeAnnA KIM Staff Writer

Illustrationo by Deanna Kim | The Bottom Line Getting to know someone without actually talking to them is something quite common in today’s era. With social media networks such as Facebook, Instagram, and twitter, someone’s public life can be viewable a click away. I would be lying if I said that I have never searched someone’s name on Google or tried to find my crush’s Facebook account. But with this available information so readily attainable at our fingertips, the term “stalker” has been blurred. Am I a stalker for looking through a stranger’s photos on Instagram and knowing they ate a burrito on a Thursday night? The term “stalker” is now used casually, like an adjective, usually accompanied by the words “creepy,” “obsessed,” and “weird.” It no longer only means a person who pursues and harasses a person without their consent or knowledge. It is a term thrown around by people who were shown interest by someone considered undesirable socially or physically, and a term used as a means of maintaining one’s status and desirability as “superior.” just because you see the same guy or girl every tuesday on your way to Campbell hall doesn’t mean they’re following you—they probably have class in that area at that time. now, if they follow you to bathroom, that might be a different story. But still—we give ourselves too much credit for thinking everyone is “obsessed with me.” however, as loosely as the term is used, stalking is a serious problem. According to victomsofcrime.org, 6.6 million people are stalked in one year in the united States, 11 percent are stalked for five years or more, and weapons are used to harm or threaten the victim one out of five cases. The national Center for Victims of Crime defines stalking as, “a course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to feel fear.” This fear is not fear perpetuated because of a person’s conceit or narcissism, but the fear for one’s safety and existence—especially after it was clearly verbalized and expressed that this attention and interaction is undesired and nonconsensual. Thanks to tV shows and movies, measures to reduce a stalker’s ability restraining orders are made funny, desensitizing us from a very real issue. It is natural to act curious regarding someone of interest, like a future roommate, co-workers or friends, and these social medias are an easily accessible form of doing so. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to see your exroommate’s Facebook album of Coachella 2012. Many of these sites are meant for others to publicly view, so that others can get a sense of that person’s personality and life; however, when the sites or knowledge obtained is used to harm the victim, is constantly monitored, and used for harassment, curiosity turns into stalking. So please, if you find yourself becoming obsessed and absorbed in knowing a specific person’s or groups’ whereabouts, what they are wearing, what their next meal is, their favorite color, deodorant scent, and daily life—stop. It is neither healthy for you nor the victim. especially in a young college town, it is easy to confuse someone’s response that they are not interested as “playing hard to get.” In the right circumstance, they might be playing hard to get, but after a certain point, not interested means not interested, and it is time to move on. And not move on as in to the next victim, but to move on in life.

How I Blew A Year’s Tuition in Two Days by AYeYI ABoAGYe Photography Editor how I blew a year’s tuition money in two days: While I wish I had some grandiose tale of extravagant adventures, the truth is rather uneventful. If you’re looking for the quickest way to go broke in the united States, look no further than the doors of the emergency room. hospital visits these days have become a feared occurrence for the prospect of bills they will bring. God forbid, you’re uninsured. My bill? $16,704. having struggled with my health for the past two or so years, I’ve been to just about every kind of doctor, specialist, spirit healer, and wizard out there. Yet nothing could prepare me for this monstrosity of a bill I have to deal with now that I’m a real adult and bills are actually addressed in my name. once I processed what an absurd amount of money that was, I began to realize just how absurd an amount of money it was. I’ll spare you the details of my personal life but to put things in perspective, a day in the emergency room plus two nights in the Cardiac Intensive Care unit apparently equates to $17,000. While I understand CAt scans, eKGs, ultrasounds and the administer-

ing of medications require expensive medical equipment and resources, I find it impossible to rationalize the need to capitalize so greatly on every individual that they are used to treating. The debate over appropriate health care in the united States has long been on the dinner table for discussion, yet while politicians have been busy devising a practical approach, millions of Americans have been busy wasting away in hospital beds across the country, waiting for some underqualified nurse to bring them a $50 bologna sandwich and $25 cup of sugar-free jello. economists point fingers at the insurance companies. Politicians will label the absence of a structured healthcare reform as the culprit. Yes, both of these weigh heavily on the issue but the way I see it, our country’s approach to medicine itself is to blame. Walk into the doctor’s oﬃce and you’ll experience first-hand what I’m referring to. Check in, spend 25 minutes waiting in the lobby, two minutes getting your vitals checked, and another 20 minutes fidgeting around on a wax paper sheet waiting for the doctor to come in. By the time the doctor finally enters, he or she examines you for a total of 5-10 minutes,

writes you a prescription and sends you on your merry way. early detection of life-threatening conditions could be improved if doctors would actually take the time to thoroughly examine their patients rather than simply trying to get through as many people as possible in one day while racking up all their copays. I don’t mean to discredit the expertise of medical doctors as I myself am on the treacherous path to pursuing what is quite possibly the world’s most respected and equally despised profession. however, what I simply cannot seem to comprehend is the blatant exploitation of the American patient. Preventive medicine is portrayed as paranoia and more often than not, patients must wait until the last minute for a cure rather than preventing the problem altogether. now I’m not suggesting that the government has created a conspiracy to breed sick Americans and then profit on their treatment, though it is possible. rather, that our unalienable right to life has been compromised by the infusion of capitalist motives into the healthcare system. It’s common knowledge that doctors are some of the wealthiest laborers but prior to

my recent experience, I had never questioned whether this was rightfully so. It almost seems intuitive to reward those entrusted with our lives more than others, but at whose expense? here arises the question of morality. When does it become acceptable to take so much money from the sick and even the dying? Perhaps the kindhearted will say never, and this is reflected in the many charities that exist to aid with such medical bills. others will justify by claiming it to just be the capitalist nature in which we live. exploitation is inevitable in this country and as tough a pill to swallow as that may be, it’s a truth that must be accepted. tolerance, however, leaves little room for reform. As for myself, I refuse to stand idly by as the costs of healthcare continue to spiral out of control. Perhaps I’ll finish up school, get my doctoral degree and seek sweet revenge on some unsuspecting college student, crushing her dreams of getting a new car at the end of her sophomore year. or I’ll aspire to change the face of medicine in my own little way, pushing for more preventive medicine across the nation. until then, I’m stuck paying off my first real bill the poor college kid way—one dollar at a time.

The Bottom Line | Feb. 13 - Feb. 19

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Lisa Ling Speaks of the Power of journalism at Campbell hall by MArISSA PereZ Staff Writer

Journalist Lisa Ling visits UCSB to share the power of journalism in enacting social reform.

Photo by napat Pumhiran | The Bottom Line

‘The House I Live In’ Exposes Shortcomings of the US Drug War by CheYenne johnSon Staff Writer The dire effect drugs have on people, as well as those who know them, demanded attention at the university of California, Santa Barbara’s Multicultural Center’s Feb. 6 screening of “The house I Live In,” a documentary film by eugene jarecki about the united States’ drug war and the costs it has on the country. The film moved from addicts to sellers, family members to narcotics oﬃcers, senators to federal judges, and inmates to wardens as it tried to gain a grasp on the scope of the war, and how it transitioned from one of rehabilitation and condolence to one of ostracism and hatred. The film spanned over 20 states and combined stories of cocaine, crack, opium, and marijuana to provide a view on the varying influences that led to nixon’s declaration of war on drugs in 1971. jarecki revealed that though arrests and punishments have steadily increased from their original level, drug use has continued to increase, with the dream of eliminating drugs in America long since faded. Prison guard Mike Carpenter stated in the film that though he supports the prison system, the flaws in current drug policyhave caused him to question the logic behind it. “I think a long time ago, we made drugs into this huge thing, and we’ve made it so illegal, and we’ve made it such a national issue with that tough on crime stance,” said Carpenter. “I mean, you can’t get elected if you don’t profess to be tough on crime. You can’t stay elected if you don’t do things to be tough on crime. nobody can afford to be the first guy to say, ‘Wait a minute. We can’t afford what we’re doing. Let’s do something different.’ Because if you even made a noise like you were going to be soft on crime in any way, you would be out of a job.” The relationship between policemen and drug laws and users is a complicated one, according to jarecki. Since the war on drugs began, over 45 million people have been arrested, a feat that’s made the united States the world’s largest jailer. Though the u.S. has only 5 percent of the world’s population, it holds 25 percent of the inmate population on the planet.

David Simon, a former police reporter as well as the creator, executive producer, and head writer for the hBo television series The Wire, said the way the country rewards its police force is a key contributor to the problem. Police officers are generally given overtime after a drug bust as they have to take the drugs to be processed, have to take the prisoner to central booking, and finish paperwork. “he’s gonna do to 40, 50, 60 times a month so that his base pay might end up being only half of what he’s actually paid as a police officer,” said Simon. “We’re paying a guy for stats.” Simon said the focus on non-violent drug users is severely distracting officers from more complicated and intricate cases that require more work and offer less financial reward. “Compare that guy to the one guy doing police work,” said Simon, “solving a murder, a rape, a robbery, a burglary. If he gets lucky, he gets one arrest for the month...And at the end of the month when they look and they see officer A, he made sixty arrests. officer B made one arrest. Who do you think they make the Sergeant?” jarecki goes on to show that not all drug laws are created equal and claims that, for all the nation’s talk of protecting the population from the dangers of drugs, that may not be the true reason for the current punishments and regulations. jarecki argues that opium laws were implemented in California to stop the influence of immigrant Chinese workers, crack cocaine laws to attack African Americans in urban areas, and marijuana laws to affect Mexican workers along the border. overall, jarecki’s film took a glance at every aspect of the drug war. he scanned across states and decades to show that where the u.S. has arrived was not as a result of a steady or clear cut path. he noted that people serve life sentences for dime-sized amounts of meth, families fall into cycles they can’t seem to escape from, and inmates are expected to leave jail rehabilitated despite no rehabilitation services being offered. The film reveals that there is nothing black and white about the drug war, and to approach it simply is irresponsible.

Acclaimed journalist Lisa Ling discussed the power of journalism as a force for positive social change and shared some of the important stories of career on Feb. 5 when she spoke at university of California, Santa Barbara’s Campbell hall. During her talk, which was presented by uCSB Arts & Lectures, Ling traced her career from her beginnings working for Channel one (a news program broadcast exclusively to middle and high schools across the nation) to her current position as host of our America, which airs on the oprah Winfrey network. “tV was my favorite babysitter,” Ling recalled, before explaining how her desire to be on tV in order to better her life gave way to an interest in using journalism to better the lives of many. She related how working on various pieces affected her in an engaging, conversational style, beginning with a trip to cover the civil war in Afghanistan, traveling with the red Cross. It was there, Ling said, that she first discovered the true value of the media, remembering her distress at seeing the young people of a country most Americans couldn’t point out on a map carrying thousands of dollars of weapons that our government has supplied them. The experience proved resonant with modern events—Ling said, “I remember thinking, ‘What’s going to happen to these young people ten years from now?’” A year later, she visited Iran, where she claims to have seen the early seeds of movements like the Green revolution (the protests stemming from the disputed results of the 2009 Iranian election) in youth seeking greater knowledge of democracy and contact with the outside world. Ling then moved to “The View” but, following a passion for field work, later joined national Geographic, which afforded her a variety of unique experiences, including a trip into north Korea with a medical mission. She described the phenomenal strangeness of a country without cell phones, Internet, or even advertisements, the heavy burden of government escorts following their every footstep. It was around the time of her return from north Korea, she recalled, that the news media was dominated by the story of Anna nicole Smith, expressing a frustration with the state of a field that would spend weeks on the trappings of celebrity but would not give a platform to speak about life inside of a notoriously oppressive country. It was this desire to give voice to issues that were not as often covered by news media that motivated Ling to start her program “our America,” which exposes the vast variety of lifestyles that exist within America. Following a recounting of some of the strongest pieces she had covered for “our America,” Ling answered questions about investigative journalism and the problematic nature of the state of news media as a whole.

Silent Film Conveys Loud Messages at ‘The Future of the Past’ Film Series Mary Pickford’s ‘Sparrows’ Takes Viewers Back to the 1920s by joAnne hoWArD Staff Writer In the 21st century, it can be diﬃcult to emulate the silent film experience that was so popular in the early 20th century. But on Feb. 10 at university of California, Santa Barbara’s Pollock Theater, Mary Pickford’s 1926 classic, “Sparrows,” achieved that effect by running on 35mm film with pianist Michael Mortilla’s live accompaniment. The Carsey-Wolf Center and the Library of Congress presented the film as part of the film series “The Future of the Past: The Art and Philosophy of Film Preservation.” The screening was followed by a Q&A session with Mortilla and Christel Schmidt, author of “Mary Pickford: Queen of the Movies.” Before the film, Schmidt gave a brief account of Pickford’s life and career. She introduced her book as “My baby. Four years people, I carried this for four years.” Schmidt described Pickford’s extraordinary ambition and drive that first caught her interest, as well as her indispensable role in co-founding the united Artists film studio as well as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In “Sparrows,” a 34-year-old Pickford plays a teenager named Molly who, as the oldest child on a baby farm, is tasked with taking care of the other children and keeping them from harm at the hands of their evil master and the dangerous swamp that surrounds them. Schmidt spoke of the false perception that silent film is unrelatable in the 21st century; to this, Schmidt argued that silent film entertained the nation for 30 years before “talkies” became popular. The film, though from decades ago, still speaks to universal themes of hope, escape, and religion. I personally formed an attachment to the characters, whom I found especially charming. There were even moments of humor amidst the dark plot, like when Molly, in the

middle of their great escape from the swamp, makes all the children kneel down and give thanks to God for their rescue before they can carry on with their getaway. never did I feel indifferent about the story or unable to relate to it; it wasn’t just the film that was enjoyable, but the entire silent film experience that was completed by Mortilla’s piano virtuosity. Mortilla, a professional composer and sound designer who works extensively with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, accompanied the film continuously for the entire 90 minutes. At no point did the audience perceive repetition or exhaustion in the music, which speaks volumes to Mortilla’s skill and expertise. he added an additional emotional layer to the film, playing rumbling minor bass notes to signify the evil Mr. Grimes or a tinkling trill to mimic a ringing bell. In a way, he used the piano as a means of storytelling. After the screening, Film and Media Studies professors Charles Wolfe and ross Melnick moderated the Q&A session with Schmidt and Mortilla. Schmidt said the goal of her research on Mary Pickford was to restore the actress’s reputation. Pickford, although considered the “Queen of the Movies,” was an actress at a time when film was a second- rate entertainment form, comparable to reality television today. Pickford used her fame to counteract that notion and prove that film was a respectable art form. According to Schmidt, “She wanted to make the best movies. She wanted to make art.” to Pickford, her fame and talent meant nothing if film was dismissed as insignificant. Schmidt’s mission was to find Pickford’s films and make them accessible to the public, thereby restoring her reputation as an accomplished actress. “Sparrows” is now a restored work and is even available on DVD. For more information on “The Future of the Past” series, visit http://www.carseywolf.ucsb.edu.

The Bottom Line | Feb. 13 - Feb. 19

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Rousing Performance by Simon Shaheen Quintet Receives Standing Ovation

Photo by Yuen Sin | The Bottom Line by Yuen Sin Staff Writer It was a stunning performance that brought the cheering audience to their feet at the end of it all. Illustrious Arab musician Simon Shaheen and members of his quintet graced Santa Barbara with their presence on Feb. 6, performing a selection of musical pieces that deftly fused the sounds of traditional Arab music with contemporary elements at University of California, Santa Barbara’s Campbell Hall. The Simon Shaheen Quintet features Simon on the violin and ‘oud (a pear-shaped, guitar-like string instrument), Bassam Saba on the flute and nay (an end-blown flute originating from Iran), Najib

Shaheen on the ‘oud, Dafer Tawil in charge of percussion, and Ali Amr, who provided vocals and played the qanun (a string instrument similar to the zither). William Shaheen, who plays the violin and ‘oud, also made a special appearance. Throughout the eight songs that were presented, Shaheen’s vision for “the unbridled fusion of Arab, jazz, Western classical and Latin American music [as a] perfect alchemy for music to transcend the boundaries of genre and geography” was strongly executed. The genial Shaheen interacted with the crowd in between pieces, explaining how the traditional Western violin can be tuned down a few notches to complement the rhythms of Middle Eastern sounds.

Indeed, the soaring notes of his polished violin melded seamlessly with the haunting rhythms of traditional Arab music, adding a daring spin to the overall musical quality. Originally from Palestine, Simon Shaheen is a professor of music at the Berklee College of Music and New England Conservatory in Boston and has been awarded for his contributions in advancing the legacy of Arabic music to new frontiers with the National Heritage Award in 1994. Notable audience favorites that night included “Dance Mediterranea,” a song with a number of rhythmic changes that allows an extensive metric improvisation on the violin, venturing into new territories of musical expression despite

being firmly rooted in Arabic tradition. Dance composition “Dance, Raqsit Badi’ah” was also another strong, energetic piece with Ali Mar’s nimble handling of the qanun drawing applause from the audience. Other unique pieces by famous composers and from popular Egyptian films were also performed, such as “In-Nil Nagashi,” which comprised of a monologue performed vocally by Muhammad Abdel Wahhab in the 1934 film “Al Wardah Al Baydah,” or “The White Rose.” “Ishitqto Ruhak” was another song that featured vocal forms, based on a popular Arabic poem and allowing room for improvised passages at moments where call and response actions are made between

Eye-Catching ‘Art of the Activist Imagination’ Stands Up for Social Justice by Anjali Shastry Staff Writer If you walk straight into the Davidson Library and turn right to the stacks, you’ll see a giant sign on the wall that says “Favianna Rodriguez: Art of the Activist Imagination.” I have a tendency to see the signs for whatever is showcased there, and then walk on past it. A lot of people do that. But what if you stopped and looked at it? Well, you would find a series of 10 poster prints framed on the wall, each featuring vibrant colors, vivid portrayals of people, and unapologetic slogans that read “Stop the War on Women” or “The Only Secure Community is an Organized One.” These posters are brash, and they don’t mince words at all. The images are beautifully abstract, and feature bold lines and cheerful colors. The brightness of the poster is juxtaposed with the audacious slogans and

the soloist as well as the chorus. In his short audience dialogues in between performances, Simon Shaheen remarked that he was pleased at the strong interest in Middle Eastern music shown in Santa Barbara. “When I first arrived I visited the Middle Eastern ensemble, expecting just about maybe 20 people, but I was really surprised when it turned out to be about 80!” he said. Second-year global studies major Kiyomi de Zoysa remarked, “It was as if I was taken on an adventure in my mind; during the show I simply closed my eyes and savoured the music which was so colorful, and I felt that all the aspects of the music came together really well.”

Photo by Abel Fernandez | The Bottom Line

altogether the effect is bloody fantastic, but also extremely controversial. Rodriguez doesn’t attempt to tone down her political beliefs in any way. To her, art is a catalyst for social change. An artist, activist, and teacher from Oakland, California, she uses art as a way to communicate her thoughts on all sorts of social issues like immigration, economic injustice, environmentalism, sexism, racism, and war. A bright yellow and red-orange poster exclaims, “Undocumented, unafraid!” A gray and blue poster screams, “Climate Crisis Is Real: Climate Silence is Criminal.” And one of the most controversial slogans there boldly claims, “Green is not White: Green is for All. Clean Air, Non-toxic Workplaces, and GreenCollar Jobs for Immigrant Workers.” That one is a double-whammy: pro-environment and pro-immigrant rights at the same time! How effective is Rodriguez? In a sense, I feel that she battles discrimination with dis-

crimination. It is almost like she reinforces stereotypes with her posters, but they’re also so bold that their shock value makes them extraordinary. She foregoes political correctness in the phrases that she uses (“Green is not White,” really?), and the brashness of the slogans that build up her argument are also ultimately her biggest flaw. There’s a language to use when you want to be taken seriously, and a language to use in the bar with your friends. It would be an impressive feat to take the bar talk to the courtroom and be successful, but in most cases, all it really does it prevent people from sympathizing with you. To me, Rodriguez achieves that lack of seriousness, in the sense that I sympathize with her views, but citing her as an influence would be something to shy away from. Women’s rights? Rodriguez tackles it, but with this slogan: “Pussy Power! The Slut Nation is Here & We are Pissed Off !!! Run and Hide,

you Misogynist, Crusty Fuck Heads! The War on Women is a War on Everyone.” Now, I’m all for rights to my own body and “Pussy Power,” but in no world would I seriously describe it like in those terms. I’m not the most conservative of people, but her posters made me feel like I wanted to put some metaphorical clothes on them. The bottom line: I like Rodriguez. She seems spunky, and there’s no denying her talent. When I look at her art, I have an emotional reaction, not only to the actual art of it but also to the messages that she is putting forth. The point of art is absolutely to stir an emotional reaction in the viewer, because art is visceral, and in that Rodriguez succeeds. When it comes down to the politics, sometimes I agree, sometimes I disagree, but always I see the validity of her views. However, as political propaganda, the intended use of these pieces, her art falls short.

Sketch ‘n’ Sniff Invites You to Sit ‘n’ Laugh by Cheyenne Johnson Staff Writer

A new breed of comedian takes center stage every Sunday night at University of California, Santa Barbara’s Studio Theater. Sketch ‘n’ Sniff, the newest improv group on the UCSB campus, uses stories, audience input, and cultural references to leave their audiences laughing and begging for more. The group’s members range from theater to economic majors and include all level of undergraduates, proving that age has no effect on comedic talent. Coming to life only eight years ago in 2005, the relatively young group said they’ve changed a lot since their humble beginnings. “It was called Sketch ‘n’ Sniff because we did sniffs, which are basically, you get a word and then you write a sketch about it, and then they would put on the sketch,” said Philip Lindsey, one of the group members. “So we’d do improv and also sketches

at the same time.” The decision to move away from the sketches allowed the troupe the chance to perfect their long form improv, a skill they’ve nearly mastered. The members move seamlessly between each other, picking up each others’ sentences and movements, in a flow one usually expects from siblings. The hours of practice have certainly made a difference and bonded the troupe together, uniting them into a group that’s more than willing to subject themselves to silliness on stage. For many of the members, their interest in the troupe began after seeing a performance. “I saw the shows,” said Mariah Goolbsy, “and I like that Sketch ‘n’ Sniff, we do a lot of long form improv which is less of the quick witted games and more of our long scenes...and being in the BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts program) and acting every day, I feel more comfortable with that.” The games Sketch ‘n Sniff play challenge the group to be quick-

witted and simultaneously continue to make a scene funny through several minutes of story building. One game, “Survivor,” opened up the sport-themed show on Feb. 10 as four members interacted in a scene, each getting ‘kicked off ’ until only one was left to be each actor. It was similar to expecting one actor to play Romeo, Juliet, Tybalt, and Mercutio at the same time. Other games, like “Oscar Winning Moment,” “Next Choice,” and ‘”Slideshow” continued to prove over and over that despite being a smaller and lesser known presence on campus, the troupe can certainly hold their own. The connection and friendship between the members of the troupe shined through not only on stage, but off. Whether it was before the show as they warmed up, during as they laughed and climbed over each other, or afterwards as they seemed to share the same thought while talking, the Sketch ‘n’ Sniff troupe has a very clear

camaraderie. It wasn’t uncommon for the group to finish off each other’s sentences, as Goolsby and Paulette Zubata were quick to demonstrate. “We do a one act,” began Goolsby, explaining her favorite game, “that’s like Sketch ‘n’ Sniff ’s-” “I feel like it’s like the house drink-” continued Zubata. “It is. It’s Sketch ‘n’ Sniff ’s house drink,” concluded Goolsby. “We create a one act play on the spot...I really like the fact that we can come up with a full story line and do a bunch of scenes that connect and have a beginning, middle, and end. I think it’s one of my favorite things that we do.” The long form, more storytelling aspect contrasts with Improvability’s quick response and fast pace, but the troupe assures there’s no ill will between the two. They encourage students to attend both performances to test “their flavor.” “It’s just tea,” explained Joe Samaniego, “but one’s earl grey and

one’s chamomile.” Sketch ‘n’ Sniff performers have the energy to rival professional comedians, and the quick imagination expected of story tellers seeps through their words and actions. The combination of each member’s unique talents ensures that the collective group flows together effortlessly, each scene forming into a coherent and hilarious performance. When one comedian appears to be losing their place, another quickly steps in. Overall, Sketch ‘n’ Sniff is a budding new improv group with all the potential to rise to standards recognizant of the famous show “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” “Although,” said Lindsey, “I hope I’m considerably funnier than Drew Carey.” Sketch ‘n’ Sniff will be holding auditions Feb. 26 at 10 p.m. outside Studio Theatre. Anyone interested in auditioning or curious about troupe can find updates at Facebook.com/ sketchimprov.

The Bottom Line | Feb. 13 - Feb. 19

page 7 | Health & Lifestyles

Dying to Get High: by Ben FAn Staff Writer recently, something called “legal marijuana,” otherwise known as “spice,” “K2,” or “potpourri,” has become something of a fad amongst teenagers. The drug is a mixture of natural herbs sprayed with chemicals that supposedly mimic the effects of natural marijuana, according to a Cnn report. now, a teenage girl from houston named emily Bauer has ended up in the Intensive Care unit after smoking it, which raises the question: how dangerous is this synthesized substance actually? Bauer didn’t even need to go in a nondescript area to purchase the herb; she apparently purchased a bag

of the mixture, labeled “potpourri,” at a gas station. The fact that the synthetic marijuana was so easily purchased is disconcerting because of how easily it may find its way into the hands of college students. The drug, which hasn’t had any prior support from the government despite the “legal” label, is evidently far more dangerous than real cannabis, and the question of how it found its way into such an open environment without any restrictions on it remains unanswered. however, the drug itself has been in circulation for quite a while, making its first public offering in europe in 2004. It has been tested in laboratories in places like Germany, where the discovery was

human rights Week Brings Student Activism to the Forefront by MArISSA PereZ Staff Writer “our voices are getting quieter and quieter, no one is hearing what we’re saying as students,” explains Katlen Abu Ata, a third-year Middle eastern studies and political science double major. Katlen is one of five members of the executive board of university of California, Santa Barbara’s human rights Board, a student organization devoted to human rights and social justice. human rights week kicked off on Monday, Feb. 11, and will run through Friday, Feb. 15. The week of events brings together a sizable number of campus organizations to explore a wide variety of issues; the events promise meaningful discussions of race, feminism, imperialism, gun violence, human rights issues in the Middle east, and issues facing the lesbian, bisexual, gay, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual, ally (LGBtQQIAA) community, among other things. Anisha Ahuja, a second-year political science and feminist studies double major and another executive member of the human rights Board, said that putting together human rights Week involved a heavy amount of organization, from contacting the contributing organizations to working together with them to develop programing to securing funding. organizations that are providing programming include the Muslim Student Association, Arab Student Group, Persian Student Group, Project nur, Greeks Gone Green, take Back the night, AS office of the President, Campus Democrats, environmental Affairs Board, Black Student union, office of the external Vice President of Statewide Affairs, office of the Internal Vice President of Statewide Affairs, South Asian Students Association, Students for justice in Palestine, Womyn’s Commission, IDeAS, Black Quare, Voices of Planned Parenthood, and Student Lobby.A full schedule of human rights week events can be found on Facebook, and also promises protests, teach-ins, sit-ins, and other displays of student activism designed to engage passersby. “We just want to bring attention to all these issues and want to make people more active, get more inspired to do something about the issues facing our communities here and abroad,” said Ahuja. Abu Ata added, “In A.S. and on campus, we want to be the progressive voice on campus. [human rights Week] is an event that’s definitely political charged, you’re getting a wide variety of perspectives. We want to make sure students are informed.” human rights Week will include displays of activist art and film screenings to help facilitate these discussions. events are free for students and promise to both inform about the issues as well as provide students with the opportunity to make their voices heard. “We want things like human rights week to not be so strange on campus. It would be nice if we started having these events and started having weeks dedicated to these things. We as students have the power to affect these issues, if we learn about it, we can affect change,” said Abu Ata, driving home human rights Week’s goal of informing and empowering uCSB students.

Synthetic Marijuana Severely Disables Teenage Girl

made that the actual contents of the synthesized marijuana are not actually listed. If we’re to be honest with ourselves, weed’s presence is prevalent on campus, and this new synthetic marijuana is definitely a cause for concern. The students of university of California, Santa Barbara have significant amounts of input into the whole situation. “I feel people should be very cautious when doing drugs, especially synthetic drugs, taking into account one has no idea what they contain and can pose a huge problem to one’s health,” said juan Morales, a first-year pre-biology major. It’s evident that the consensus with regards to this

synthetic marijuana is that it should be regarded with caution. As Morales commented, there is very little scientific understanding behind the actual side effects of synthetic marijuana. “It is the person’s responsibility to respect their body and choose the right thing [in their mind] to do,” said Andrew Pagan, a first-year computer engineering major. “We might not agree with it at all, but they are an individual and will make the decisions they want to.” Whether synthetic marijuana becomes a hot commodity within the next few years or not, first-year environmental science major, Simon hudson, sheds some light on the issue.

“The prohibition of marijuana has led to the creation of dangerous synthetic substitutions for pot,” said hudson. “The injuries and hospitalizations of synthetic marijuana users are analogous to those of consumers of bootlegged liquor during the prohibition of alcohol. The legalization of alcohol eliminated this issue and I believe the legalization of marijuana can do the same. It’s sad to see a kid go to the hospital because of a social stigma against natural marijuana.” Definitely a view that will generate some debate, hudson makes a convincing point; although the issue at hand is the legality of the synthetic marijuana, perhaps the underlying issue lies within the legality of marijuana in general.

UCSB Ranked 16 in Peace Corp Participation 70 uCSB alumni currently serving 1,564 uCSB alumni have served total uCSB alumni are currently in 36 countries u.S. Peace Corps has had 210,000 volunteers total, serving throughout 139 countries by CheYenne johnSon Staff Writer The university of California, Santa Barbara moved up the national ranking of colleges and universities that have students serve in the Peace Corps. rising from number 22 in 2011, uCSB is now ranked 16 among all large universities in the nation, with 70 alumni currently serving in the Peace Corps. For universities that have sent the largest number of students to serve in the Peace Corps since its beginning, uCSB is ranked 12 with 1,564 alumni having served the organization. Currently, the uCSB alumni are serving in 36 countries and are working in the areas of agriculture, business, environmental preservation, health application and education, and youth development. “We have a longstanding relationship with uCSB,” said Kanani Moriarty, regional representative for the Los Angeles branch of the Peace Corp. “Many talented, successful students have begun their careers with Peace Corps! each of these individuals is representing uCSB and making a change in another community. They are also bringing these skills home, as global citizens who are helping to create the 21 century workforce.” uCSB Chancellor henry Yang said uCSB student involvement in the Peace Corps reflects on the values students at the university hold dear. “We take great pride in our uC Santa Barbara alumni who volunteer to serve in the Peace Corps,” said uCSB Chancellor henry t. Yang. “Their dedication, hard work, and selfless service are a wonderful example of how uCSB students and alumni help improve the quality of life for people around the world. our campus has long supported the ideals, values, and activities of the Peace Corps. The fact that so many of our former students serve each year is a reflection of their commitment to serve our country in the cause of peace by living and working in developing countries.” The Peace Corps began in 1960 when Senator john F. Kennedy challenged the students at the university of Michigan to

serve the u.S. and promote peace and understanding by serving in impoverished countries. Since its inception, over 210,000 volunteers have served in 139 countries to work on projects ranging from AIDS education to environmental preservation. Aaron S. Williams, director of the Peace Corps, said the university environment in particular readies volunteers for the challenges they’ll face while serving. “Colleges and universities prepare thousands of talented undergraduate and graduate alumni for Peace Corps service every year,” said Williams. “These alumni go on to serve as Peace Corps volunteers, applying the skills and knowledge they acquired during their studies to promote world peace and friendship, and improve the lives of people around the world. I would like to extend my gratitude to all colleges and universities for their continued support of the Peace Corps and public service.” Stephanie Gaffney, a 2011 uCSB graduate who recently completed her training in tanzania, spent her time in the Peace Corps working on environmental education and sustainable agriculture projects to help the local community thrive. Gaffney said her experience serving there has only increased her desire to continue helping others. “My education at uCSB and various volunteer internships,” said Gaffney, “have fueled my continued desire to teach and serve others.” “I would highly recommend Peace Corps for all these reasons,” said Moriarty, “the opportunity to positively impact a community and the growth in the personal life of a volunteer. I served as a Peace Corps volunteer myself, from 2009 to 2011 in the Federated States of Micronesia. It was one of the most challenging experiences of my life, but also an incredible opportunity to build relationships, do something positive for others, and grow as a person. It was a life changing experience that has marked me indelibly and changed the course of my life. not only that, but it has helped me launch my career.” Moriarty will by leading a Peace Corp information event on Feb. 27 in front of Career Service building to educate students on Peace Corps and volunteering.

Men’s Basketball Wrap Up

Young Guns Lead uCSB Gauchos Past Second Place uoP tigers SATURDAY’S GAME (FEB 9TH)

Gauchos: 66 Tigers: 53

by jorDAn WoLFF Staff Writer Saturday, Feb. 9 the university of California, Santa Barbara Men’s basketball team played the university of Pacific. The Gauchos destroyed the tigers 66-53 and snapped their five game losing streak in dramatic fashion. The Gauchos are now 8-15 overall and 4-8 in the Big West Conference. The surging Gauchos were led by, freshmen Michael Bryson and taran Brown; each racking up thirteen points to pave the way towards the victory. however the Gaucho of the night came in the form of trig-

ger assist man and sophomore Guard, t.j. taylor. taylor ran the show from the get go and orchestrated the offense with commanding poise. taylor scored 11 points and notched up 8 assists which was nearly the amount of the entire university of Pacific team (10). The only downside of the game was that “Big Al” Williams went down again and early in the game Saturday night. Williams began the night in a flurry of dominance by scoring 10 points in just eight minutes. however, Williams went down hard on a play and spent the rest of the night on the bench with his ankle wrapped heavily in ice. Luckily the injury isn’t supposed

SATURDAY’S TOP SCORERS

Michael Bryson (Freshman): 13 points Taran Brown (Freshman): 13 points T.J. Taylor (Sophomore): 11 points to be serious and he’s expected to be ready to play for the Gauchos in their next game against rival California Polytechnic State university. The Gauchos came ready to play that evening and it showed in their focus on the court. They started the game on a 12-0 run and shot 50 percent from the field overall. Perhaps the most impressive part of the victory was the defensive prowess showcased by the entire team. taylor said, “We needed to turn this ship around and with Al going down or Al not going down, we were going to get that win no matter what tonight. So we had to stick together,

GAUCHO SEASON STATS

8-15 overall 4-8 Big West Coast Conference

stay strong, compete and we did.” When asked about his eight assists taylor said, “I was just playing controlled and just running the offense, doing what coach needed me to do. just finding open teammates you know. When we knock down shots it’s easy for me to get assists. I’m not out there working too hard to get assists. We’re a pretty good shooting team, so you know when we get it going I just find the guys in the right positions and they knock them down.” uCSB junior Matt Lozano and psychology major said, “That was a big win because it ended the five game losing streak. We looked a lot better tonight. t.j. taylor stepped up big time

even with Big Al Williams going down. t.j. hit some big shots. We got off to an extremely strong start and it carried us through to the end. So hopefully this can spark a winning streak and we can get another win in our next game against Cal Poly.” The night also consisted of a special honoring of former Gaucho great Lucius Davis. Davis is the newest member of ‘Legend of the ‘Dome’ and was instantly greeted by the crowd with roaring chants of “Lou!” A banner was hung in the raptors of the Thunder dome in his name. The Gauchos next game will be at Cal Poly on Saturday Feb. 16.

The Bottom Line | Feb. 13 - Feb. 19

page 8 | Technology

UCSB Technology Management Program To Offer Graduate Degrees by AShLeY GoLDen Technology Editor The university of California, Santa Barbara’s technology Management Program (tMP) This is a real opportunity for us to create a very unique program that will be training the will now offer graduate degrees. The program, titled Graduate Program in Management Prac- technical leaders of the future. We’re empowering the scientists and engineers to become the tice (GPMP), will be offered as a one-year Master’s Degree and will be like an MBA for engi- leaders and innovators. I think that’s a big step, and an important one. As stated on the program’s website, “tMP helps prepare graduate students to enter the neers. This change in status will occur as soon as 2014, though there are current graduates from the program already. technology business world with knowledge of balance sheets, income statements, discounted In tMP, students design new technological innovations and products, such as apps, and cash flows, capital budgeting, opportunity recognition, market segmentation, target marketing learn management skills to deliver these products to the market. For instance, a group of stu- and sales, IP management, business planning, public speaking, team work, and leadership. dents knows as The Birdeez group developed an app called Birdeez that won a top award at the our goal is to see uC Santa Barbara‘s technology Management students sought out by DeMo conference last fall and has the potential to be a profitable business venture. Courses technology corporations and start-ups.” offered in GPMP include Business Strategy & Leadership, new Venture Finance, and new “The word technology means what you do with what you know,” said Mike Panesis, Product Development. tMP’s manager. “It’s not about electronics or chemistry or being able to build things, but takBob York, tMP’s director and professor of electrical and computer engineering, says of ing what you’ve learned, the knowledge you’ve gained, and doing something with it. And that’s the program, “It’s going to be very similar to a degree you’d get at a business school, but we’re what we specialize in.” The program, established in 1998, has been teaching such skills unoﬃcially for years, but not creating a copycat program. We’re trying to do something very innovative. This is a management program for scien- now the addition of awarding a graduate degree to students adds weight and recognition to tists and engineers. We’re living in a real technical world with a real need for tech leaders— their work. people who are not just creating the technologies but actually delivering them to market—and Students interested in applying to the program can go to their website at http://www. we feel this is a space that’s not being served right now. tmp.ucsb.edu/ and fill out the GPMP enrollment form.

‘Amazon Coin’: What It Is, But Mostly What It Is Not

Santa Barbara Police Cars Outﬁtted With Cameras by thoMAS ALeXAnDer Isla Vista Beat Reporter

by VIjAY MoDI Staff Writer earlier this week, electronic retail giant going to mean for users. It is more like a store Amazon announced the launch of a new ‘Ama- credit, an idea that has been introduced to the zon Coin’ system. Word of the virtual currency electronic world for quite a while, with compaspread around the web within the minute, nies like Microsoft and nintendo using their both because a company the size of Amazon own in-store credit to make it easier for users is involved, but also because the idea of an en- to purchase goods. The new coin will not functirely electronic currency has spurred curiosity tion as a currency, that is to say, it will not be exaround the business world for a while now. changeable for other currencies at face value or It is important to differentiate what this redeemable outside of the Amazon Appstore. move means for Amazon, and what it does not. This feature is another part of a series of w, along with the recent en ha n c e ments Amalaunch of the Kindle Fire zon has made in order hD. to attract de“now velopers to we have anmake use of its “The underlying motive for other new way independent this move on Amazon’s side to help develAppstore. The opers reach company has is to energize app sales in its even more of announced Kindle Fire store” our millions earlier this of customweek that ers. Amazon App sales in Coins gives customers the Amazon Appstore an easy way to spend s h o w e d a staggering money on developers’ apps on Kindle Fire in growth of 500 percent since january of last the Amazon Appstore,” said Paul ryder, Vice year. The steep climb in sales is due in part to President of Apps and Games for Amazon. the launch of Amazon’s own Kindle Fire, its As an incentive, the company is going to give first manufactured hardware system. Amazon away millions of dollars of the new coin for us- is dominating the Android-based tablet marers to spend in the Amazon Appstore. Basically, ket, as u.S.-based Kindle Fires are making up the company is building an infrastructure that more than 30 percent of global devices alone. would allow faster monetary flow within Ama- The device is still expanding its global reach zon’s closed system, which will potentially drive and is set to continue and present a solid base up profits for the company and independent of income for the Seattle based company. With application developers alike. tablet shipments on a constant rise and Apple’s It is safe to say that the word ‘currency’ is share of the market declining, 2013 is a very not the exact fit to describe what this system is promising year for Amazon.

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10% Discount for Students and Seniors

After years of discussion, the Santa Barbara City Police Department is outfitting all of its squad cars with video cameras in an effort to protect the department from liability. The City Council authorized the $220,000 purchase this past December after the Santa Barbara County Grand jury urged a move to modern camera techniques. The department used relatively clunky VhS recordings until the early 2000s, but their use was discontinued due to a lack of funds. heightened public expectations regarding department liability, combined with the development of smaller and more cost-effective technology, have led the agency to make another foray into the world of videotaped traffic stops. “We are the largest agency in the county that doesn’t currently have cameras installed,” explained Sergeant riley harwood. technicians from Global Mounting Systems, an electronics installation company with which the department holds a trusted relationship, began setting up cameras in 28 patrol cars early last week. once the cameras have all been put in place, the department must undergo weeks of road tests in order to determine how officers can best implement the equipment. “Concurrent with that, we’re working on re-writing our policy to deal with the new technology,” commented harwood. “We need to train all of our personnel in using the equipment. I’m hoping by sometime in March that that’ll all happen.” The Grand jury decision was corroborated by an october 2011 scandal involving a DuI officer who allegedly used excessive force against a civilian during a traffic stop. In light of several eyewitness accounts, officer Aaron tudor was accused of tasing and brutally assaulting a non-confrontational motorist who he suspected had driving under the influence. tudor’s car was outfitted with a test camera at

the time, and SB Police Chief Cam Sanchez has since released the footage and claimed that no department protocol was broken. tudor’s case is set to go to trial later this month, and the incident has brewed a storm of discussion regarding police department liability—in situations such as tudor’s, footage of the incident could spell the difference between exoneration and scandal for accused policemen. According to harwood, the cameras will be integrated into the computers already present in the cars, although their installation necessitates and runs concurrent to the placement of additional antennas and faster computers. A high-definition camera will be attached to the front windshield of each of 28 of the department’s patrol cars, and will be complemented by a smaller infrared camera attached to the back portion of the car. The hD camera is designed to record the proceedings of traffic stops, while the rear camera will monitor suspects that are being taken into custody. The cameras will be rolling at all times, and an officer can trigger a belt-mounted microphone to activate a simultaneous audio recording feature for larger events. technicians from the video system company, WatchGuard Video, will help process the countless hours of video rolling out of the patrol cars. WatchGuard, a big name in the business, supplies nearly one third of all u.S. law enforcement agencies with their in-car camera systems. “They’re one of four systems we tested,” explained harwood. “They’re largely the leader in putting hD video in police cars.” The coming months will determine how the Santa Barbara Police Department handles its new technology, and department oﬃcials have high hopes for the benefits of squad car modernization.

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